So Overwhelmed!!!!

I posted a little while ago about my cat Scrabble just being diagnosed with diabetes. It broke my heart to leave him at the vets tonight. What should I expect when I get to bring him home? What if what the vet puts him on doesn't help? I work a lot of hours and worry how I am going to monitor my cat????? I feel so overwhelmed reading everything on here! How do I start the home tests? Help!!!!!!!

 

slow down and take a deep breath. this isn't a race. and there's no way in hell you'll learn everything you need to know in one night so just read, take notes, ask questions as you go along and don't worry, we'll help you with this. there's hundreds of us here to help.

with that said, in short what you will do is bring kitty home tomorrow and you will start him on insulin, 1 unit twice a day. don't be surprised if the vet says more because that's what they tend to do because BG (blood glucose) levels are often elevated at the vets but when kitty comes home the levels come down so you should start at no more than 1 unit twice a day.

you will hit walmart and pick up a glucose meter kit (relion micro is economical). if you want you can post your general location (city & state only) and maybe one of us is close enough to give you hometesting lessons. if not, we can show you videos and give you tips and tricks on how to do it.

then you're gonna read about nutrition at www.catinfo.org and take notes on that over the next few days. then you'll work on getting your testing down so you can safely make a diet change to a diabetic appropriate diet.

and most important of all thru this is that he is still a cat, your cat, so you will stop and watch him a few times, smile at him, enjoy his kittiness, play with him, pet him, and talk to him and i'm sure he'll help you thru a good cry here and there too. :smile:

 

Thanks so much for your help, it is so hard to think of my baby being sick! I am in the Glendale, CA area in the foothills if anyone else is nearby in Pasadena, Burbank etc I would love some help!!! I am not good with needles so I am hoping I can do all of this! I will stop at Walmart tomorrow and pick up a kit. What if the vet puts him on more than 1 unit? Sorry so many questions!!! Also I have another cat who is fine, will she adapt to a new diet too???

 

I know exactly how you feel. My kitty Charlie was diagnosed last fall. the most important thing you can do right now is take a deep breath and try to keep calm. This is a wonderful forum with many experienced people who are always willing to help.
I too work a lot and at first; I wasn't sure I could handle everything. Be assured that this is manageable and with a little time and patience, you will learn how to best suit your kitty's needs.

If you haven't already, I would recommend reading a few things to orient you to the disease:

The FAQ on this website:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2501

Another website dedicated to diabetic felines:
http://yourdiabeticcat.com/protocol.html

Here's a link to several articles concerning feline diabetes:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/faq.htm

I too am terribly with needles and such, but I learned and now its like second nature.
There are many of us in this forum who have been in your position. Its overwhelming at first, but there are so many resources and great people here to help. Just remember, one step at a time, and you will do great.

 

hey fellow so cal-er! you are lucky. i live out in riverside county and work in orange county so a bit out of the area myself but i do know a few gals up your way. i'll send out messages to them and see if anybody is available to help you learn the testing.

 

That would be so great if there was somebody in this area because I feel so lost right now! Thanks for your support!

 

ok, i sent out a few messages to the gals. there's actually several people up your way but i know a few of them have cats who went into remission so they aren't around too much anymore so not sure they'd get the messages. one lady isn't as familiar with hometesting if i remember correctly so i didn't send her a message yet. i sent messages out to gals in northridge, burbank, and mt washington so let's see if they are close enough. the gal in northridge adopted a couple kitties from me actually you'll find we all get to know each other pretty well around here. like i said, we'll help you learn all this stuff. now it's time for me to hit the sack for the night

 

When we started my vet wanted to o 2u twice a day. I told her I was uncomfortable with that and afraid of hypoglycemia, so could we please start at one unit and work up. She understood that and was fine with it. From what you said you fed, you'll be able to find something that they may have even already been eating (don't let the vet sell you expensive special food - tell them you found a chart that will help you find a commercial equivalent carb wise) and so it shouldn't be too much of a problem getting them both on the diet they should be on anyway! It'll be ok!

 

Hi there- I'm in Northridge and I sent you a private message. I can help you with whatever you may need
Sherry & Squirt

 

It is overwhelming at 1st but you can do it!
This board is very helpful... just keep asking questions!
Michele

 

Don't get to excited. You are just going on a new adventure!
My cat Harley was recently diagnosed too. Thanks to all the help on this board it looks like he is one of the lucky ones that may be regulated with just a food change.

I have 4 indoor only cats and Harley is the only one diagnosed with diabetes. I switched them all to only canned wet food and they have all taken to it well even though they have been on dry all their lives and some are 11 years old now.

I figure that even though Harley REQUIRES the food change I am doing the others a favor by changing them before a crisis.

Also, the BG testing is not as hard as it sounds (of course Harley is an angel) I am sure Sherry will have you testing like a pro soon.